Community News

NBN satellite set to launch

Federal member for Page Kevin Hogan said many residents and business in the Northern Rivers are set to benefit from some of the world’s best commercial satellite broadband when the NBN Co launches its revolutionary Sky Muster service in the second quarter of next year. “This is going to make a huge difference too many families and businesses in our region, and will be even better than first thought due to increased capacity,” Mr Hogan said. The increased capacity has been made possible through the combination of covering premises with other NBN technology and making more use of the second purpose-built broadband satellite due to be launched early next year. Mr Hogan announced in October that fixed-line and wireless NBN would be rolled out across the Northern Rivers during 2017 and early 2018, with the whole of the country connected by the end of 2020. “With the launch of the Sky Muster satellite, the entire Northern Rivers will be connected to superfast broadband before the rest of the country. This means we can start taking advantage of the opportunities the NBN presents, long before the rest of the country,” he said. According to NBN Co, the second satellite will play a greater role than originally planned. In effect, NBN will utilise the unallocated capacity of this satellite to help ensure people in regional areas have access to the best possible service NBN can offer.